This country doesn’t end in Halifax

The late John G. Diefenbaker referred to the CBC as “the greatest unifying force in Canada.”

I wish someone would drill that into the heads of the CBC News and Current Affairs program producers in Toronto.

How often, I wonder, have we been excluded from references about important events in the Dominion of Canada by those insulting surveys that say “across the country from Halifax to Vancouver”?

The latest example that has my dander up aired on Sept. 19 on CBC Television’s “The National” with Peter Mansbridge and Co.

The program was about investments in real estate and other things related to financial considerations, especially by our young people.

“The National” program producers assembled a panel of four from various walks of life, all experts in their field. They represented banks, financial investors, print media economists and trade unions.

The 15-minute telecast focused on real estate highs and lows as reflected in current fluctuations in world economies, particularly ours in Canada.

Throughout the round-table discussion there were several references to current events in real estate markets from “Halifax to Vancouver.”

Not only was that disgusting but to me it was just another example of the countless other CBC network programs that left this province out of their discussions time after time.

We are isolated enough by sheer geography, but for heaven’s sake, can’t the CBC current affairs producers upalong realize that the more they continue to do this they make us more isolated than we ever thought possible?

It’s an instinctive thing and, by God, we deserve better from our national CBC broadcasters who we support through our taxes the same as those Canadians from Halifax to Vancouver Island.

If Mansbridge and Co. don’t think the current real estate boom in St. John’s (which everybody, it seems, is talking about) is not worthy of inclusion in a national broadcast, maybe next time I’ll take the remote and find CTV or Global for my nightly news and current affairs.

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Ron Tizzard

October 01, 2012 - 07:56

Bill, Bill...get over your insecurities....if your days are disrupted with torment because people sometimes (by happenstance,,,not to tease) refer to Canada as a land mass reaching from Vancuver to Nova Scotia or Halifax, that's OK, they'll smarten up. Now, how was your breakfast today? Just tea and toast, or did you opt for the sausages as well. I had just tea and toast, myself.
I'm looking forward to a beautiful sunset this evening...the sun with just a tint of crimson, and sinking slowly over it seems, from my window, just over Brigus.
Now, what's that you were worrying about, Bill?

A BUSINESS MAN if Newfoundland has nothing to offer then do us all a favor and move to the US. Newfoundland has alot more to offer than dirty, overcrowded Europe, or the third world countries of the Caribbean. There is beautiful scenery, tranquility, and friendly people. You can go into untouched wilderness here and go for days or weeks without seeing another person. Try doing that somewhere in Europe. The last point is the best because I can avoid people such as yourself. I have been to Paris, Rome, and London and you fit right in with these people living in their fantasy land full of history. I see it as old, rundown and dirty, you can have it.

Why would I move to the US? Why would I do you or anyone else a favour? Thre is no reason to move because I make money in newfoundland while living in a much nicer profits. Regarding vacations, beautiful scenery, tranquility, and friendly people that you speak off sounds like a poor man's vacation to me. When I vacation with my family, we like to go to Disney, to Six Flags, to a beach in a tropical country. We will to shop in Times Square, on Rodeo Drive, on Wilshire Blvd. We don't want to pay top dollar for the things we buy....we would rather shop in the US and get the same stuff for cheaper and pay less in taxes. We want to dine in the finest restaurants that the world has to offer. In short, the best of the best, something that newfoundland can offer. Futhermore, I sell most of my good and services to the USA and to Europe/Asia. So I have an interest in spending my money there, in supporting those economies and businesses. I have relatively less interests in newfoundland, so I get less out of supporting newfoundland. Not only do I want the best for me, but I also want the best for my businesses. Therefore, spending my money in the communities that support my businesses is in my best interests.

Skeptical Cynic

September 27, 2012 - 20:37

So they didn't mention St. John's on the news. BFD. Getting all bent out of shape over that is as ridiculous as Bell Islanders getting upset because a newscaster said "across NL, all the way from Port-aux-Basques to St. John's". Really, some of you people need to get a life. As for the "business man", the nature of the commentary from this individual... if indeed genuine... indicates a disturbingly sociopathic mentality.

"A BUSINESS MAN" Your comments to this site indicate that you are the perfect specimen of how Business Men think all around the World, they care about nobody other than themselves. As far as they are concerned the World's natural resource belong to them and they don't care who lives or dies because of economic reasons, who struggles to put a meal on their family's table and a roof over their head, as long as the business man's economy is well padded and he/she has all the security that can be afforded in life from the money bilked from the people of the World who own the World's Natural Resources. You are very deficient in morals and so are your fellow colleagues in Business and the politicians who always lend you their influential ears, since the politicians are the ones who allow the corruption by the Corporations/Business Men of the World's Natural Resource base.

We are our own worst enemies guys. We don't go after these guys enough.
Attitude of mainlanders towards Newfoundland is sickning.
I heard about a guy who drove a group of CBC TV stars who were in town for an open house promotion. They had been screeched in. (that god damn ceremony that is so silly it is not worth talking about) and the guy said on the way back to the hotel they were snickering about it and when they got out of the car to go to the hotel they left the screech-in certificates on the back seat. Enough said.

On the CBC morning show on tv, when Heather gives out the weather and it happens to be -30 in Labrador, she just says, in Newfoundland it is -30 today. I'm surprised she can find the map of NL on the board.

The cost of travelling here for a show are astronomical. It isn't the fact that we are ignored it is that budgets don't allow for television shows to fly a whole crew out here to do a few minute segment. It is sad when you can travel to the Caribbean or many places in Europe for way less than the cost to travel within this country, especially Newfoundland and Labrador. I am more appalled by this fact. We aren't forgotten, and we would have alot more attention if it wasn't so expensive just to get here.

I am glad it costs cheaper to go to Caribbean or many places in Europe. I love those places. Vacationing there is incredible. As one who enjoys the finer things in life, why the hell would I want to go to newfoundland when I can go to Paris or Rome or London. What does newfoundland have to offer that is better that the world's top cities. And there reason it cost so much to get to newfoundland is because no one cares to go there. On the other hand, it is not hard to fill a large plane with people who want to go to Europe. I understand you want people to go to newfoundland, but suggesting that it should cost more to go to Europe is just foolish. Sure, it should be cheaper to get to newfoundland, but that does not mean that getting to Europe should be more expensive that getting to newfoundland. It is just supply, demand, and economies of scale.

Why would a province with the most important and strategic Atlantic location and containing most of the natural resources in Atlantic Canada be so ignored by Ottawa?

September 26, 2012 - 08:17

Don't fret if you were to look into the guts of the Terms of Union drawn up when the province of Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada you will probably find wording somewhere buried there that says once the province of Newfoundland and Labrador became part of Canada, Nova Scotia was NOT TO BE upturned from its position as being the Capital of Atlantic Canada. We know Nova Scotia has the official distinction of being called the gateway to Atlantic Canada (funny isn't it, given Newfoundland and Labrador's location as the most eastlery landmass in the Atlantic and containing most of the Atlantic waters). The fact that the province of Newfoundland and Labrador is the most easterly province in Canada with almost 18,000 kilometers of the Atlantic coast line containing nearly all of the natural resources to be found in Eastern Canada, it is outright wrong for Nova Scotia to have that distinction of being called the 'gateway to the Atlantic'. By the way Nova Scotia had a delegation set up in an office next door to Newfoundland and Labrador's office when the Terms of Union were being discussed. They were very concerned about the fishery, most of the fish biomass are bred in Newfoundland and Labrador waters, and that delegation made sure that the Fishery would be administered from Nova Scotia in conjunction with Ottawa. We were SHAFTED royally when we joined Canada. The time is long overdue for a delegation to be sent off to Ottawa to have a discussion on this subject. Why would a province with the most easterly position in Canada, with most of the Atlantic coast line and most of the natural resources be so ignored by Ottawa?

ROK, "Island portion of the province" is a stupid circumlocution invented by people who live in Newfoundland, who didn't want to concede that the name "Newfoundland" applies only to the island.

a business man

September 27, 2012 - 09:56

Charity does not begin at home. Charity begins where you want it to being. I donate money to many international causes because I believe it is most important to donate to under developed countries where people truly have nothing. I choose to send my kids to foreign countries to build houses and schools for poor people because it will look good on my kids' resume. In short, instead of buying into this charity begins at home crap, people should look into their heads and look into their hearts and do what they feel it right. Lastly, I will point out that I also donate to the US states where I operate with. I set up food banks, charity events and so on. The economic success of these US states is more important to me than is newfoundland,, so for me, charity does NOT begin at home.